Louisiana awarded $2.4 million to help battle Zika virus

BATON ROUGE – Louisiana has been awarded $2.4 million to fight the Zika virus.

The award is the state's share of about $60 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to states cities and territories to support efforts to protect citizens from the Zika virus and adverse health outcomes that can result from the Zika infection, including the birth defect microcephaly.

The funding is in addition to $25 million awarded on July 1 as a part of CDC's preparedness and response to funding in areas at risk for Zika outbreaks. On August 1, CDC will also award another $10 million to quickly identify cases of microcephaly and other birth outcomes linked to Zika and to refer affected infants and families to services.

The Obama Administration has requested $1.9 billion that public health experts identified as necessary to combat Zika, however Congress has not approved the budget.

"Our local, state and territorial health departments are on the front lines in the fight against Zika, and though the necessary funding that is needed isn't yet available, we cannot wait to provide this essential support," CDC Director Tom Frieden, said "These CDC funds will strengthen state and territorial capacity to respond to Zika virus, an increasingly concerning public health threat."